O-phenylphenol and Sodium orthophenylphenate (separately or collectively sometimes herein known as “OPP”, orthophenolphenol or o-phenylphenol and/or its sodium salt) are known and used extensively as antimicrobial agents in various industrial applications such as preservation of various materials including paints and adhesives as well as to control unwanted microorganisms found in various process waters such as cooling water, paper mills and petroleum production process waters.
The contamination of various products with microbiological growth has led to the study and application of large classes of preservatives, antimicrobial compositions, and microbiocides to inhibit or prevent such contamination. Industrial process waters also have been studied and treated extensively. Preservatives are used in a broad range of products including but not limited to adhesives, cosmetics and toiletries, disinfectants and sanitizers, leather, metalworking fluids, paints and coatings, plastics and resins, latex polymers, textiles and wood. Failure to preserve these products adequately will result in spoilage and loss of the materials to be preserved and will result in an economic loss. Similarly, microbiological growths can have dire consequences if process waters are not adequately treated. Process waters include but are not limited to: industrial recirculating water, paper products (i.e., paper), petroleum production and leather tanning. Process waters are of concern because when fouled with biofilms that develop from the indigenous microbes present, bioflims may develop into thick gelatinous like masses. Slime is produced by a wide range of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Slime will interfere with the process resulting in a loss of heat transfer, corrosion and fouling.
Some of the microorganisms responsible for the extensive economic effects described above have exhibited resilient resistant tendencies against the standard and widely used microbiocides and antimicrobial compositions, and accordingly the search for more effective antimicrobials has extended to a search for synergistic combinations of materials considered to be relatively safe for humans. There remains a need for combinations of materials of low or nonexistent toxicity to humans which are effective against a wide range of microorganisms.